Ellie Goldstein is an English model and actress with Down syndrome who became the first model with Down syndrome to appear in a campaign for Gucci Beauty and on the cover of British Vogue — and, in autumn 2025, the first person with Down syndrome to compete in the main series of BBC One’s Strictly Come Dancing. As of October 2026, her career spans fashion, television acting, books and disability advocacy, and it is best understood not as a single viral moment but as a decade-long run of firsts.
That is the short answer. The details matter, because her breakthroughs are often compressed online into a single headline while the facts get blurred. This profile separates confirmed milestones from embellishments: what the Gucci campaign really was, what the Vogue cover really was, and what happened on Strictly.
At a Glance: Ellie Goldstein
- Full name: Ellie Jade Goldstein
- Born: December 2001, Ilford, London, England — 24 years old as of October 2026, turning 25 in December 2026
- Profession: Model, actress and disability advocate
- Agency: Zebedee Talent (formerly Zebedee Management), which has represented her since she was a teenager
- Breakthrough: Gucci Beauty digital editorial for Vogue Italia, photographed by David PD Hyde, published in 2020 — the first time a model with Down syndrome represented Gucci Beauty
- Vogue milestone: Cover star of British Vogue’s May 2023 issue, the first model with Down syndrome to appear on the cover of British Vogue
- Acting breakthrough: Nancy in the BBC children’s drama Malory Towers (series 6, 2025), nominated for a Children’s and Family Emmy Award
- Strictly milestone: Contestant on Strictly Come Dancing series 23 (autumn 2025) with Vito Coppola; eliminated fifth, in week six
- Books: Against All Odds (2023), her autobiography; Ellie (2024), a children’s book about inclusivity
- Advocacy: Ambassador for Mencap; ambassador for Mattel’s launch of the first Barbie doll with Down syndrome (2023)
- Not claimed: No net-worth figure and no private-life details beyond what she has shared publicly.
Who is Ellie Goldstein?
Ellie Goldstein is a British model and actress from Ilford, in east London, who has Down syndrome and who has spoken openly about being underestimated as a child. In interviews she has repeated, in her own words, that doctors told her parents she would never walk or talk — and that she proved them wrong. That line has become the spine of her public story, not because it is a slogan imposed on her, but because she keeps choosing to tell it herself.
Goldstein is not a passive symbol of inclusion chosen by brands. She is a working performer who sought out the camera early, trained in performing arts, and has described fame as an ambition, not an accident. “I want to be famous! I want to be a role model and inspire others to accept themselves,” she told Kurt Geiger’s People Empowered series.
As of October 2026, she is based in London and represented by Zebedee Talent, whose profile describes her as “a model, actor and influencer with Down syndrome who has become a powerful advocate for disability representation.”
How did Ellie Goldstein become famous?
The Gucci Beauty and Vogue Italia campaign of 2020
Goldstein’s international breakthrough came in 2020, when she was 18, through a Gucci Beauty campaign published in partnership with Vogue Italia. It is often misdescribed online as a print cover; it was a digital editorial.
Scouted during the Photo Vogue Festival in November 2019, as part of its “Unconventional Beauty” project, she was photographed by David PD Hyde wearing Gucci Mascara L’Obscur, which Gucci’s then creative director, Alessandro Michele, described as designed “for an authentic person who uses make-up to tell their story of freedom, in their way.”
When Gucci Beauty shared one photograph on Instagram in June 2020, the response was immediate. Her agency, Zebedee, described it as Gucci’s biggest-liked post ever at the time, and contemporary reporting put the figure at more than 800,000 likes. Goldstein’s own comment captured the moment without embellishment: “I love this. Thank you for this amazing opportunity and a fabulous day shooting.”
Goldstein became the first model with a disability to represent the Gucci brand and model its beauty products, according to Zebedee and contemporary reporting — a first still cited as a turning point in fashion’s move toward disability representation.
What was Ellie Goldstein’s British Vogue cover moment?
Three years after Gucci, Goldstein reached the milestone she had named as a childhood dream. In May 2023, she appeared on the cover of British Vogue, becoming the first model with Down syndrome to do so.
Precision matters here too. The May 2023 issue was a group cover celebrating disabled people from fashion, sport and the arts — reporting at the time described 19 disabled cover stars — rather than a solo cover. That distinction does not diminish the achievement; it places it more honestly.
In her interview for the issue, she put the point in her own words: “Brands shouldn’t be afraid to [cast] people like me; I know I bring happiness with my work and make people smile. Everyone should be seen and not hidden. [People with disabilities] can be easily overlooked and written off. We are the same as everyone else, sometimes a bit slower in things, but we need to be given a chance.”
She later described learning the cover was out while she was with classmates at college, who filmed her reaction, and has said the cover is framed at her house. For a model who had said since childhood that she wanted to be on the cover of Vogue, it was, in her words, a dream realised.
How did Ellie Goldstein start modelling?
Goldstein began modelling at 15, after her mother, Yvonne, put her forward to Zebedee Management, co-founded by Laura Johnson and Zoe Proctor. She has said she was always a natural in front of the camera, walking up and down the living room at home as if it were a catwalk.
Her early work was steady rather than instant: a Superdrug Christmas advertisement in 2018, then a commercial portfolio before Gucci in 2020. Alongside modelling, she studied performing arts at college in Redbridge, east London.
Born in Ilford in December 2001, Goldstein underwent heart surgery at five months old to close holes in her heart. Those details are included only because she and her mother have shared them publicly, in interviews and in her autobiography.
Beyond Gucci Beauty, her campaign work, as listed by Zebedee and in reputable profiles, includes Nike, Adidas and Vodafone, and she has appeared on the covers of Glamour, Elle, Mission Magazine and Euphoria. In 2021, she won GLAMOUR’s Women of the Year Game-Changing Model award. Further brand names found only on bio-farm pages, without an agency listing or reputable report behind them, are deliberately not printed here.
What is Ellie Goldstein’s Malory Towers role?
In 2025, Goldstein made her major television acting breakthrough in the BBC children’s drama Malory Towers, the adaptation of Enid Blyton’s boarding-school novels. She joined the cast in series 6 as Nancy, a spirited new arrival who arrives with Matron, is described by the production as a passionate history enthusiast, and quickly proves herself a formidable lacrosse goalie.
The Bottle Yard Studios, where the series is filmed, quoted Goldstein as saying: “I am so honoured to have been a part of the fantastic series Malory Towers. I’m beyond excited to see my episodes and share them with everyone. I absolutely love acting and feel so lucky to have worked with such a wonderful cast and crew.”
Her performance earned a nomination at the 4th Children’s and Family Emmy Awards in 2025, for Outstanding Supporting Performer in a Preschool, Children’s or Young Teen Program. She did not win — the award went to Nonso Anozie for Sweet Tooth — and it is recorded here as a nomination, not a win, because that distinction matters.
One detail is deliberately left without a surname: some listings give Nancy’s surname as Maher, others as Thomas, while the official Emmy nomination list gives her simply as Nancy. Rather than pick a surname from a conflicting source, this profile uses Nancy alone — the name every source agrees on.
What happened to Ellie Goldstein on Strictly Come Dancing?
The main series, not the Christmas special
A common online error about Goldstein and Strictly needs correcting at the outset. She did not appear in a 2024 Christmas special. The person with Down syndrome who appeared in a Strictly Christmas special was CBeebies presenter George Webster, in 2022, with professional dancer Amy Dowden. Goldstein’s Strictly story is bigger than a one-off special: she competed in the main series.
In August 2025, she was announced as a contestant for Strictly Come Dancing series 23, the 2025 main series, becoming the first person with Down syndrome to compete in the main series of the BBC show. She was partnered with professional dancer Vito Coppola. Her announcement said: “I’m absolutely over the moon to be joining the cast and pros of Strictly Come Dancing this year. It’s a show I’ve loved watching for so long, and the chance to now be part of it feels like a dream. I know it’s going to be challenging, but I’m ready to do it with the glitter and glamour and make some magic on that dancefloor.”
She reached week six, Halloween Week, before being eliminated. On the results show on 2 November 2025, Goldstein and Coppola danced a tango to Lady Gaga’s “Abracadabra” in a dance-off against Balvinder Sopal and Julian Caillon. The judges unanimously saved Sopal and Caillon, making Goldstein and Coppola the fifth couple to leave the series. Head judge Shirley Ballas said Goldstein had been “outstanding throughout the whole competition,” and Coppola told her: “Honestly, there are no words I can use to describe how proud I am of you and you did really change my life so much.”
Goldstein’s own response was characteristically upbeat: “I’ve enjoyed it so much! He is a kind person and all I wanted from day one.”
What books has Ellie Goldstein written, and what advocacy work does she do?
In September 2023, Goldstein published her autobiography, Against All Odds, through SPCK Publishing as the debut book in Katie Piper’s UnSeen series, telling her story alongside her mother Yvonne’s perspective. In 2024 came Ellie, a children’s book about inclusivity and growing up with Down syndrome.
She works as an ambassador for Mencap, the charity for people with a learning disability, where she is described as a “myth buster” challenging misconceptions, and has fronted its charity shops during Learning Disability Week. In April 2023, Mattel chose her as ambassador for the launch of the first Barbie doll with Down syndrome, part of the Fashionistas line. She said: “When I saw the doll I felt so emotional and proud. I’d have loved to have had a doll like me growing up.”
She has also appeared as a guest on Good Morning Britain, Loose Women and This Morning, and in April 2025 on The Great Stand Up to Cancer Bake Off.
What is Ellie Goldstein doing now?
As of October 2026, the public record of her most recent work centres on the two 2025 milestones — Malory Towers and Strictly series 23 — and on her continuing advocacy with Mencap. After Strictly, she has spoken about wanting more acting, more modelling — in New York, hopefully — and presenting. When asked what she wants people to know about her achievements, her answer was: “Anything is possible!”
Frequently Asked Questions About Ellie Goldstein
Who is Ellie Goldstein?
Ellie Goldstein is an English model and actress with Down syndrome from Ilford, London, represented by Zebedee Talent — the first model with Down syndrome in a Gucci Beauty campaign and on the cover of British Vogue, and the first person with Down syndrome in the main series of Strictly Come Dancing.
How old is Ellie Goldstein?
Born in December 2001 in Ilford, London, she is 24 as of October 2026 and turns 25 in December 2026. The exact day, 18 December, is widely repeated online but rests on secondary listings, so this profile gives the month and year reputable age reporting confirms.
What was Ellie Goldstein’s Gucci campaign?
In 2020, at 18, she appeared in a Gucci Beauty digital editorial with Vogue Italia, photographed by David PD Hyde and featuring Mascara L’Obscur, after being scouted at the Photo Vogue Festival in November 2019. It was a digital/social campaign, not a print cover; one Instagram image became Gucci’s most-liked post ever at the time, with more than 800,000 likes.
Was Ellie Goldstein on the cover of Vogue?
Yes — British Vogue’s May 2023 issue, the first model with Down syndrome to do so. It was a group cover featuring 19 disabled people, not a solo cover.
Did Ellie Goldstein appear on Strictly Come Dancing?
Yes — in the main series, not a Christmas special. She competed in series 23 in autumn 2025 with Vito Coppola, reached week six, and was eliminated fifth on 2 November 2025 after a Halloween Week dance-off against Balvinder Sopal and Julian Caillon, whom the judges unanimously saved.
What role did Ellie Goldstein play in Malory Towers?
Nancy in Malory Towers (series 6, 2025), a spirited new pupil who arrives with Matron and becomes a formidable lacrosse goalie. Nominated for Outstanding Supporting Performer at the 4th Children’s and Family Emmy Awards in 2025; she did not win.
What books has Ellie Goldstein written?
Her autobiography Against All Odds (September 2023) and a children’s book, Ellie, about inclusivity and growing up with Down syndrome (2024).
Is Ellie Goldstein a Mencap ambassador?
Yes — a Mencap ambassador and “myth buster” challenging misconceptions about people with learning disabilities, who has fronted its shops during Learning Disability Week. She was also Mattel’s ambassador for the first Barbie doll with Down syndrome in 2023.
